DVD on angers of a legal drug (From The Northern Echo)

DVD on angers of a legal drug

9:31am Monday 22nd March 2010 in

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A DVD starring young actors from the region will educate teenagers about the potentially fatal dangers of a legal drug.

The film, produced by Durham Agency Against Crime, is a reaction to a rapid increase in the popularity of mephedrone – a legal drug which last week was linked to the deaths of two teenagers from Scunthorpe.

Today, The Northern Echo is launching a campaign to educate people of the dangers of legal high drugs, such as mephedrone.

The south of County Durham was one of the first places in the country where the drug became popular.

Filming for the ten-minute DVD took place in Witton Park, near Bishop Auckland, and Barnard Castle, at the weekend.

It stars six actors from Bishop Auckland Theatre Hooligans and was filmed by Sam Forsyth, from Teesdale-based Teeny Tiny Films.

Bryan Russell, chief executive of Durham Agency Against Crime, said: “We didn’t want to just apply pressure on the Government to make mephedrone illegal because when that happens it will just be pushed underground and the problem will still be there.

Mephedrone may disappear, but another substance will come along in no time.

“We thought we needed to educate people about what they are risking by taking things like mephedrone.

“One of the biggest problems is that people don’t actually know what is in it, so it can affect people in different ways.

“We wanted to do the DVD from a young person’s perspective, because that would be much more effective and impactive than adults lecturing people.”

Mr Forsyth, who co-wrote the script for the DVD with Sara Cox and Oliver Smith, said: “Although we wrote it, we have left it very much with the actors to put it in their own words.

“Teeny Tiny Films was set up as a social enterprise, so to be able to help on a project like this was a real pleasure.

“The DVD will hopefully get people thinking about the consequences of taking legal highs – there are a few fantasy scenes where we get into the heads of young people.”

The DVD will be ready to be shown in schools around the area in two weeks.